We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alistair Tutton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alistair below.

Alistair, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Ultimately this is the one thing that you have to get right. You have to figure out what it is that you love, who buys it, and how much they are willing to pay for it. If you can’t find people that buy it or they don’t pay enough you either have to make that market out of thin air or figure out something new you love.

While you’re on the way to paying your bills, and paying for your equipment and paying for the crew you work with make sure you’re also paying for your retirement – don’t work forever if you don’t have to!

Alistair, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been a professional photographer here in since 2006. I primarily capture food and architectural images, but I have opened myself up to a diverse range of projects including portraits and animals and video production across a range of topics… including the manufacturing of leather products.

I initially came to America in 1996 as part of a university exchange program in my original studies of architecture, worked as a retail and exhibit designer and got married to an American and after I got my green card I immediately quit my day job and became a photographer.

I love diverse projects, I love interesting clients, I love using my camera to tell a story for my clients and I love the travel and experiences that have come from photography.

I started working out of my house as a one man crew, expanded to a huge studio with a staff of four people and then sold it all to return to working out of my house as a one man crew (with a few more subcontractors than before) and I have loved scaling up and scaling down.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My first career was in design – I was designing exhibits and retail store fixtures and I enjoyed it. But the hours were lousy, the working environment was toxic and I wasn’t getting the compensation I deserved for those challenges. Unfortunately I was a migrant and through my work visa I could only work for that company…but then I got a green card and I immediately switched careers to become a full-time commercial photographer…and I didn’t have a clue what that was.

I’d been taking some photos of my projects, and then some photos for some limited clients, but I didn’t know what I was doing, so I met as many photographers as I could and asked them, I hired experienced assistants and asked them and I cold called as many people as I could –

“Hi, I’m Al and I’m a photographer based in Kansas City. Can I come and show you my work?”

Slowly but surely I built my portfolio, built my client base and built my career.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s your work.

It’s your story.

It’s your career.

If you don’t like it then you can change it. There’s no boss telling you what you can or can’t do.

Enjoy it and make the most of it. And take Friday’s off if you can…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alistairtutton.com/

Image Credits
Denny Medley – on my portrait Alistair Tutton Photography – on all the other images